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Hi Lynn. Nice to see you on the porch. I live in Wisconsin. What do you like to write? I used to write poetry, but have narrowed my focus to non-fiction on the topic of eating disorders. I have an online ministry to those with eating disorders and am trying to do whatever I can to get the word out - an uphill climb for sure.

I took the test twice--once at my actual weight, plus diet and a couple other things, and got a score of 92 years. Then I changed the weight to the bottom of my healthy weight range, had myself eating healthy and getting plenty of exercise, etc., and had 6 more years added. I kept the high blood pressure answer the same, because even though my mom was at or, especially well below her healthy weight the last year of her life, she still had high blood pressure, and she was on medication for it. So it might not just be my weight that's causing it, it's likely heredity, because most of my family has it as well. But I have ancestors that lived into their 80s, 90s and 100s, so my living well into my 90s is realistic. I wouldn't be surprised if I outlived my siblings.

Hi Lynn - Nice to meet you! You have a standing invitation to join our group, to post as much and as often as you like, and we'll always have a warm welcome for you.

I grew up in New York State but married a North Carolina boy after we met at Nyack College near New York City. I love living in the South. I love all the traditions and faithfully abide by the culinary rule, "If it ain't deep fried, it ain't worth eating." I'm the oldest member of the Porch and probably the oldest member of FaithWriters! The people you'll meet here are among the most delightful, most spiritual, most loving, and most encouraging people on the internet! If you live in Memphis, you've probably seen Elvis many times.

My computer crashed again over the weekend! I saved a few choice words for it if I don't soon get it fixed. Right now it's on another Band-Aid fix. With any luck I'll get 2 or 3 days of service out of it before it gives up the ghost again.

Carol, my sweetie, my sister and her family return to Boston early Wednesday morning so after that I'll reply to your latest Email. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to her this time, for obvious reasons.

Y'all have a good night's sleep.

Mariane Holbrook

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

Sorry, Don, I forgot to tell you how your list brightened my day when I read it. Also, I find comfort knowing that God has written the number of days I'll live in His book, and He'll be with me thro0ugh every one of them.

My dad died at 79 and my mom at 83--I'll go when He calls me! But that was a fun exercise.

Marianne, you can give your computer an extra kick for me to get it jump-started.

Lynn, welcome to the porch. I began life in Cincinatti, Ohio, as the daughter of a preacher. We lived in several other places in Ohio, moved to Kentucky, then to South Carolina. I went to college in Marion, IN, met my sweetheart there. After he graduated from college, we moved to SC for several years then settled in NC, where we've been since 1965. I feel like a native here--and love it.

I went to a Walmart Clinic yesterday to see about what I thought was a UTI, with possible kidney stones. They took a urine sample, said no infection, but my sugar was really high, that my body was doing a major sugar dump.

They then took a A1c. I said I had eaten less than two hours before, was told it didn't matter. I've always had to fast for them before.

They gave me meds for the back pain, plus anti nausea meds, as the pain was making me sick. They also gave me antibiotic as, while no infection showed in sample, one usually follows stones due to irritation.

Today they called with the results. The nurse said that for some reason the blood was never sent in, but they showed a sugar count of 416 and I needed to get to a doctor immediately, as that was high enough to cause a coma. I have an apt for 2pm.

I took a sugar reading here, a little while ago, three hours after breakfast, and got 220.

I'm not sure if their 416 was accurate, but I am going to go in.

The meds they gave me literally knock me out. I sleep for hours after I take them. the back pain is still very intense, doesn't seem to be helping. Need to go, time to see docs.

Carole

Proud to be a 500 member.I don't know the master plan, but I know the Master has a plan.

Oooh, Carole, that sounds like no fun at all. I'm trying to think what foods are helpful in such situations, but the only thing that comes to mind is cinnamon. I think that has something to do with lowering blood sugar/or affecting the body's insulin response - off the top of my head. I should check the internet for certain. C U later!

Carole, I can only imagine how you are feeling. Know that you are in our prayers.

BTW, if you find you have kidney stones, the one pain medication that helped me most was Toradol. Apparently from what nurses told me, this med has been helpful for many in dealing with the pain of kidney stones. But I really hope you don't have them.

Carole, I'm glad you went in for a follow up. I hope you don't have a kidney stone, too. You have enough going on without that.

I was in the clinic myself today. I have several sores in my mouth. I've had them before, but this time my teeth hurt, it hurts up into my ear, and I ache all over. Goodness, what a commotion. But she said the nasty little fellers can do that to a person. I'm taking ibuprofen (though it's hard to say how many days my stomach will be able to tolerate it) and a mouthwash to numb the sores to make it a little easier to eat. I hadn't had these sores for probably a few years or more, but now I've had them twice since my dad died. I've had a couple other things, too, since he died. It's just been a heavy duty year between losing my dad and my unemployment status (which is the hardest to deal with).

Thanks, Verna. It's been so much for so long. Losing my dad on top of being unemployed for over a year now - and it goes back further than that. The last four years have just been a series of difficult circumstances that have been hard on all levels, one after the other.